funny you should mention noisy tubes. My ALLNIC preamp is making sporadic “scratchy” noise on one channel. I cleaned and swapped sides (vintage WE417a) but the noise stays on the same channel.
Strange. I will check the other tubes (not channel specific) 7233 + 5654
OMG! You youngins! I’m from the olden days when even TV’s had tubes. Yes, they wear out and fail. In the early days waiting for the repair guy was agony, and often he didn’t even have the replacement. Times change, Thank goodness.
Remember the tube testing machines in supermarkets? I bet those supermarket tubes, now called NOS, would go for pretty big bucks today.
Peace
Bruce in Philly